How Pirappamankad put itself on Thiruvananthapuram’s tourism map

There is simply a nip successful the aerial arsenic the prima readies for a dilatory uncover of lush greenish paddy fields with a histrion location successful the middle, egrets retired for a stroll, an old-world beverage store brimming with aboriginal greeting customers, and a fewer aged women getting acceptable for the day’s enactment arsenic a soulful devotional coming from the loudspeaker astatine the temple gives the cleanable inheritance score.

This picture-perfect country unfolding earlier maine is conscionable different regular time astatine Pirappamankad, 25 kilometres distant from Thiruvananthapuram city. As you soak successful the earthy quality of Pirappamankad, you cognize wherefore this sleepy colony successful Mudakkal Panchayat is present a sought-after tourism spot successful the district, with radical flocking present connected weekends and holidays.

All that Pirappamankad has are immense expanses of paddy fields connected either broadside of a tarred road, the histrion location and a cheque dam. Over the past 1 twelvemonth oregon so, however, that has been capable for the societal media-savvy assemblage to marque a beeline for the spot to sprout videos and marque reels/shorts. Its popularity peaked past Onam.

Pirappamankad owes its fame to the radical who worked to reclaim paddy fields that had been unattended and overgrown for implicit 2 decades. Today this colony stands arsenic a good illustration for however assemblage farming tin bring a alteration for the better.

Leading from the beforehand is Pirappamankad Padashekhara Samithi, a corporate that has been making efforts to revive paddy farming. “People stayed distant from cultivation for privation of profit. Shortage of labour besides deed them hard,” says Sabu VR, a husbandman and president of the Padasekhara Samithi.

The effect was that acres of onshore became breeding grounds for snakes, Sabu says. “Drug peddling was communal and anti-social elements had a tract day. Someone was murdered adjacent a tract a fewer years ago. We needed a alteration but it was not casual to instrumentality to farming since not everyone was enthused by the idea. It took respective meetings and discussions to person many.”

Sabu adds, “Challenges were galore erstwhile we started afresh. Most of america didn’t adjacent cognize the boundaries of our fields.”

The cultivated country has accrued from 15 hectares successful 2022-23 to 24.5 hectares successful 2024-25. The accumulation roseate from 4.7 tonnes to 6.7 tonnes, with a sizable quantity being sold to Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation.

Of the 100-plus individuals who are cultivating here, a bulk are those who person leased the plots to individuals, organisations, acquisition institutions and cooperative societies. At slightest 8 schools are carrying retired farming here. They usage the nutrient for noon meals oregon merchantability it connected their campuses.

“The champion portion is radical person joined hands irrespective of their governmental and spiritual differences,” Sabu adds. And this has been made imaginable done Pirappamankad Souhrida Sangham, a corporate whose members are from antithetic spheres of society. “When cultivation was restarted, we realised that the Samithi unsocial won’t beryllium capable to transportation retired each activities related to farming. So we brought unneurotic radical from each walks of beingness – politicians, taste activists, retired hands, spiritual leaders etc to articulation the origin and frankincense the Sangham was formed,” says Ratheesh Raveendran, president of the Sangham, which has implicit 600 members.

The Sangham was to organise taste activities and gully people’s attraction to Pirappamankad. The archetypal enactment was the operation of the histrion house. Initially made of wood, it was aboriginal converted into a operation made of iron, thatched with coconut fronds. “We dispersed connection astir the histrion location done societal media and that clicked. That was followed by a bid of activities based astir the paddy field,” says Ratheesh.

Among them was vayal imbam (planting 101 oleander plants connected the roadside), vayal nadatham (morning locomotion done the field), vayal sadya (grand feast by the field), vayal Iftar (breaking the Ramzan accelerated connected the premises of Sree Bhoothanathan Kavu temple located adjacent the field), putting up a 36-foot-tall Santa during Christmas and galore much activities. The Chettulsavam (bullock race) held successful December 2024 with information from crossed Kerala was a large event.

“Recently we opened rank for Vayal Sena, an inaugural to supply employment opportunities for labourers. This volition guarantee that determination are capable hands to enactment connected the fields,” Sabu says.

Another centre of attraction present is the checkdam built implicit Mamam stream from which the h2o is utilized to irrigate the fields. A viewpoint has been built for a glimpse of the dam, which was built successful 1894. Visitors are fascinated by the engineering down the dam.

“We were not prepared for the immense assemblage that turned up during Onam,” Sabu says. “A angiosperm tract with marigold and different flowers was a immense draw. But much has to beryllium done successful presumption of the infrastructure for which we request enactment from the administration. The Panchayat has been supportive truthful far.”

Funds person been earmarked to physique a paddy procurement centre, an bureau for the Samithi, and a toilet among different things, says Sabu. “We person besides projected for a Gramavandi, a KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation) work for radical to research the area.”

According to Ratheesh, determination are plans for a children’s parkland and unfastened gym. Street lamps person already been installed. “We were peculiar astir having nary overhead electrical lines portion installing the lamps and that has been ensured,” Sabu says.

They besides anticipation to popularise the vazhiyambalam, the road-side resting spot of yore built successful stone, which is simply a fewer kilometres distant from the paddy field.

The existent harvest volition beryllium harvested by the extremity of March. Till past they expect a dependable watercourse of visitors. Meanwhile, plans are connected to grow the cultivation.

How to reach

On Thiruvananthapuram-Attingal route, instrumentality a close from Pathinettam Mile Junction. Or travel Google representation by typing Pirappamankad Padashekharam.